Video · Tested
The Sora API Is Gone: Move a Photo-to-Video Job to Seedance 2.5
OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experience on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API on September 24, 2026. If a short product clip, a social loop or a shop-window video still depended on Sora, that job now needs a new model.
On September 27, 2026 we rebuilt a typical small-business job — a five-second clip from one still — with Seedance 2.5 in Ciyo, for Rook & Rabbit, a fictional board-game café. Three runs taught us more than a feature list would.
What happened to Sora
OpenAI's help article on the discontinuation gives the two dates: the web and app experiences ended on April 26, 2026, and the API on September 24, 2026. It says you can export Sora content from sora.chatgpt.com/sunset, that data will be permanently deleted after any final export window, and that purchased ChatGPT or Sora credits can still be used for Codex.
Export first. Your old prompts and clips are the best brief you have for the replacement.
Posted 2026-09-22. A builder reminded others that the Sora API would go dark on September 24, after the consumer app closed in April, and advised swapping out anything that still called it. The post names no replacement; the migration below is our own.
Map the job before you pick a model
Most small-business Sora jobs were one of two shapes: text to video, or a still to a short clip. Write down what yours needed, then set the same values in the new tool.
| What the job needs | Our value | Where to set it in Ciyo |
|---|---|---|
| Start from an exact still | Yes | Frames mode, start frame |
| Length | 5 seconds | Duration |
| Resolution | 720p | Resolution |
| Sound | None | Audio off |
| Model | Seedance 2.5 | Model menu (197 credits for this clip) |
Run 1: a clean five-second clip
Our first Seedance 2.5 run started from a square pixel-art shop front and asked for a still camera with gently flickering lamps. It cost 197 credits — the same with audio on or off — and came back as a 960 × 960 clip at 24 frames per second, 5.04 seconds long, a few minutes after we submitted it.
The camera stayed still and the bicycle did not move, as asked.
Run 2: a timeout, refunded
The second run, from a photo of the shop front with a slow push-in and a passing cyclist, ended with “Video generation timed out before completion.” The 197 credits came back automatically.
Plan for this in any video workflow: submit early, do not promise a clip for the next ten minutes, and keep the prompt so a retry is one click.
Run 3: two things to check in every clip
The retry succeeded, but from the wrong picture: the Frames slot still held the pixel-art start frame from run 1, although the photo was selected when we opened the generator. Look at the start-frame thumbnail before you spend 197 credits.
The clip also wrote text that was not there. The start frame had a blank door window and a blank chalkboard; by 1.7 seconds the door said “OPEN” among garbled words and the chalkboard carried invented words and a price, although the prompt said “no text overlays”. For a shop, an invented price is the worst kind of error.
A short, calm video for the cafe's Instagram: slow push-in toward the lit shop window at dusk, the warm lamps inside glow steadily, a few leaves on the potted plant move in a light breeze, a cyclist passes along the pavement from left to right. Keep the shop front, sign and chalkboard exactly as in the photo. Realistic, no text overlays.A first-week checklist for your replacement
Before a clip goes out: confirm the start frame, watch the whole clip at full size for invented text and prices, check that the camera move matches the brief, and read the file's size and length. Keep a note of the credits and the time each run took, so you can plan the next campaign.
Replacing the Sora API
When did the Sora API shut down?
On September 24, 2026, according to OpenAI's help article. The Sora web and app experiences ended on April 26, 2026.
Can I still get my Sora videos?
OpenAI says you can export them at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset, and that data is deleted after any final export window.
What does a Seedance 2.5 clip cost in Ciyo?
197 credits for 5 seconds at 720p on September 27, 2026, with or without audio. A timed-out run was refunded.
What should I check in every clip?
The start frame, invented text or prices, the camera move and the file's size and length.
Rebuild your video job in Ciyo
Start from your still, set Frames, length and resolution, and check the clip before it goes out.